?Talape is ready to become the third Filipino OPBF champion?
By Alex P. Vidal
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 16 Jun 2008
RP superbantamweight champion Jun Talape is aiming to become the third Filipino Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) champion when he tries to grab the OPBF superbantamweight crown held by by Wethya Sakmuangklaeng of Thailand in Bangkok in July.
?We are hoping that by next month, the Philippines will have its third OPBF champion,? declared Talape?s manager Jay R. San Pedro who owns the Tiger City Boxing Gym in Mandaluyong City.
The two other OPBF crownholders are lightweight Randy Suico and Japan-based bantamweight Rolly Matsushita Lunas, both Cebuano-speaking.
San Pedro admits that his ward ?s OPBF appointment ?is not a walk in the park? even if he expressed optimism that Talape could score a major upset against the durable Thai champion who has flattened 44 of his 74 victims against four losses.
?Puspusan ang training ni Jun dahil pangarap nia talaga ang e uwi ang korona sa OPBF,? added San Pedro who was in Talape?s corner when the 22-year-old boxer drew with Yuya Miyagi in his April 6 10-round non-title fight in Shizuoka, Japan.
Talape (17-5, 7 KO), a southpaw, regained the No. 1 rating in the OPBF owing to his back-to-back unanimous decisions wins over Jake Verano and Roel Laguna in two defenses of his national crown before holding Miyagi to a controversial draw.
Sakmuangklaeng will be making his sixth defense of the crown he won by TKO in the third round over Masakazu Sugawara in Nagoya, Japan on June 26, 2005.
The 31-year-old former Muai Thai sensation from Krasang, Buriram, Thailand defended the 122 lbs title by unanimous decision over Kyohei Tamakoshi in Kobe, Japan in his last title defense on June 3, 2007.
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